John Rambo, a former US soldier traumatised by memories of the Vietnam War, gets into trouble when an incident with a small-town sheriff triggers his violent side.

John Rambo is offered the chance to cut short his prison tenure by going on a secret mission for the US government deep into the jungles of Vietnam and locating American POWs.

When his former superior, Colonel Samuel Trautman, asks him to join him on a special mission in Afghanistan, Rambo declines. But when Trautman is held hostage and tortured, Rambo decides to step in.

Rambo helps a team of Christian missionaries enter Burma to help suffering villagers. However, when the missionaries get captured by Burmese soldiers, Rambo sets out to rescue them.

John Rambo's peaceful life is interrupted when Gabriela, his friend's granddaughter, disappears in Mexico. He decides to free her from the clutches of local cartels, starting a cycle of revenge.